Ammo < Grace

The problem with letting someone in is that you're giving them ammo to use against you if they are ever displeased with you & so choose to do so. A person who knows you well has all the tools they need to completely devastate & destroy you in an instant by just the right combination of words. How powerful is that? How can we ever trust another flawed human being with our hearts?

What kind of insanity comes over us in that moment when we bare our souls to someone? Why would we ever want to expose ourselves in that way? Why let your guard down.. why allow yourself to ever be vulnerable?

It's because that's the only way to love & be loved in return.

Oh God, why did you make it that way? Why can't we have love without pain? Why can't our relationships with others just be pleasant and not hurt so much?

Emotions are fleeting but we may find ourselves feeling this way: STOP LETTING THEM IN! No more AMMO!  Pray about it and that's it. It's done. I don't need to share my pain. I will keep it to myself. And what I've already shared, I can't take it back but I can STOP LETTING IT HURT ME NOW! I can make those words mean NOTHING to me if I try hard enough. It's not my truth, it's just words aimed as a weapon. I just need to have my shield ready.

See, the problem with hurting someone intentionally is that even though you may have won the battle in that moment, you've really lost. You've lost a piece of their trust that you can't get back. They'll probably forgive you, but you tore them down and they won't be able to just forget that even if they want to. You have done damage to the relationship that is hard to erase.

Thankfully we have a God who is able to do what we cannot. He can forgive completely and wipe the slate clean. He IS unconditional love. His love overpowers any scars and makes us better than we are. We can turn to his loving arms and bury ourselves in his peace.. let it wash over us like an ocean wave crashing to the shore and taking away our pain. He loves us enough that we don't need to be loved any more than we already are. His grace is enough.